The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing business forms and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for producing multiple-die cut business forms for a variety of applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,537 to Lomeli et al. discloses a business form with a removable label and a method for producing the same. According to the Lomeli et al. patent, a paper substrate in the form of either individual sheets or a continuous strip is fed into a paper processing apparatus. The paper process apparatus produces the business form having a removable label disposed thereon by a method comprising the steps of imprinting information on the paper substrate, applying transfer tape to the paper substrate, die cutting the substrate to form a label, and subsequently collating, cutting, or storing the resulting product. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,537 is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
There are various devices that are currently available for producing business forms such as integrated labels in accordance with, for example, the method and apparatus disclosed in the Lomeli et al. patent. A number of such devices are commercially available from a company called Tamarack. The Tamarack devices produce a number of different types of business forms including label/form combinations, integrated labels, integral cards, fold and seal mailers, stencil/form combinations, continuous envelopes, affixed windows, promotional forms, and the like. A source of pin-feed paper having pin hole punching disposed at a generally uniform interval along both sides of the paper allow it to be fed through the device. Such Tamarack devices generally include a pin-feed paper infeed unit, a vacuum applicator unit, an unwind unit containing transfer tape, a hot melt applicator head, a feed control unit, and integral die cut unit, a hot melt unit, and a roll/fold/sheet delivery unit. Typically, the pin-feed paper that is fed into the Tamarack device is manufactured on a separate piece of equipment that, most usually, is owned and operated by a separate company from the company that runs the Tamarack device.
What is desired is an improved method and apparatus for manufacturing multiple die cut business forms.
It is desirable to provide a printing press that produces multiple die cut business forms in a variety of output configurations directly from stock paper via a continuous web, in-line process.
Such a printing press that produces multiple die cut business forms from stock paper via a continuous web, in-line process has a number of advantages. First, the costs of manufacturing business forms are reduced because the forms are produced with one piece of equipment. Second, the costs of manufacturing business forms is reduced because there is no need to perform any secondary operations on the stock paper fed into the printing press such as line hole punching. Third, the labor costs associated with manufacturing business forms are significantly reduced because a lesser number of personnel is needed to run the printing press during operation and there is no need for any separate affixing operations.
It also is desirable to produce a partially processed business form with a printing press such as, for example, the above-referenced printing press by a method including the steps of providing a glassine substrate, silicone treating the glassine substrate, and applying adhesive directly to the silicone treated glassine substrate.
Producing a partially processed business form in this manner has a number of advantages. First, the silicone treated glassine substrate can be utilized in printing presses as, for example, described herein with minimized curling. Second, pressure sensitive labels manufactured in accordance with this process can be utilized more effectively because, for example, the label can be easily removed from the substrate.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description that follows.